PORTLAND, Ore. – Less than 24 hours after suffering a walk-off loss in Springfield, Lewis & Clark College posted one of its own as third baseman Jack Thomson recorded the series-clinching two-run homer to hand the Bushnell University baseball team an 8-6 non-conference loss.
The Pioneers (16-7) give the Beacons (12-9) their first series loss of the year. Six of the eight Pioneer runs were scored via home runs.
The scoring started early in the back-and-forth battle as the Beacons got on the board first with a first-inning RBI-single from
Cade Crist. L&C answered in the second inning with a two-run homer off the bat of Jakob Ghammachi to make it a 2-1 Pioneer advantage.
Crist tied it up with a solo shot in the fourth before the Pios retook the lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame.
Kyle Casperson singled to center to cut the deficit to 4-3 before RBI-singles from
Jeff Fripp and Crist gave Bushnell a 5-4 advantage in the seventh.
L&C answered once again with a two-run homer by Dylan Moore to take a 6-5 lead into the ninth.
Down to the final strike,
Dylan Carson sent a solo home run to right center to tie the game at 6-6. The Beacons suffered their first walk-off loss on Thomson's 12
th home run of the year. Thomson, who had been held hitless on the series prior to his final plate appearance, sent his homer over the right field fence.
Kris Wuelfing got the start for the Pios, allowing three runs on six hits in 5.2 innings. Tyler Shimabukuro gave up two runs on four hits before Nathan Kerr worked his way out of trouble in the eighth. Anthony Clerici (1-1) gave up the game-tying homer in the ninth, but the closer got the win.
For Bushnell,
Ethan Paulson,
Alec Gums,
Trenton Hough and
Trevor Hammond threw two innings apiece. Hough recorded a scoreless outing, pitching the fifth and sixth innings.
Crist finished 4-for-5 with three RBI to lead the Beacons at the plate.
Bushnell begins the Cascade Collegiate Conference slate this weekend, hosting Eastern Oregon at the Hamlin Sports Complex on March 24-25.
